Now that I have managed to recover from the visual bombardment provided by this years Sydney Film Festival here are few of my picks of the festival. Top of the list would have to be Shotgun Stories (see review) an intelligent take on revenge, violence and family. Following close behind in no particular order are:
Out of the Blue:
This film from New Zealand director Robert Sarkies left audiences in stunned silence for long minutes after the credits rolled. Out of the Blue recounts a horrific massacre that took place in the small New Zealand town of Aramoana in 1990 when a lone gunman, David Gray, killed 13 people before being shot dead by police. It is a vivid look at a deranged mind and shows the way in which this idyllic beachside community was quickly transformed into a dangerous battleground.
The film is beautifully shot in a landscape recognisable to Australian and New Zealand audiences for its suburban familiarity. That the film so successfully reconstructs the time and place makes the violence that is carried out that much more horrific. As the slaughter begins you feel like you are there with the terrified township. We watch helplessly as one unstable member of this tight-knit community tears apart families; killing men, women and children with cold-blooded calculation. And yet, it is a testament to the remarkable performance of Matthew Sunderland (as David Gray) as well as the excellent scripting, that the gunman is not inhuman. He is very much a victim of his own delusions and rather than hatred, you feel sorry for him even as he terrorizes this previously innocent town.
Bunny Chow:
Bunny Chow is a hilarious snapshot of life in present-day South Africa. It is essentially the story of a group of young male stand-up comedians who embark on a road trip from Johannesburg to perform at a music festival. This simple story is punctuated by memorable characters who get into all kinds of trouble as they attempt to navigate relationships, heartbreak and friendship with humor and honesty.
South Africa has often been portrayed in films as a place of constant social and political turmoil. With Bunny Chow, audiences begin to see another side of post-apartheid South Africa – one of a relaxed urban sphere, multiculturalism and comedy. Director John Barker sees Bunny Chow as the beginning of a new chapter for South African filmmaking. He and producer, Jeremy Nathan hope that Bunny Chow will be the first of many films of a new generation who can make films on a street level. By engaging in independent guerilla filmmaking with little money and not much experience, aspiring South African filmmakers can open up the industry and create a larger pool of talent. Hopefully this movement will see many more films like Bunny Chow being made; films that tell truthful and personal stories while at the same time retaining a specific context within contemporary South Africa.
Hallam Foe:
Hallam Foe, directed by David Mackenzie is a bizarre yet lovely film about a disconnected boy who exists on the outskirts of society. As an accomplished peeping tom, Hallam (Jamie Bell) is constantly hovering on the edges of other people's lives. However, he is not threatening nor particularly perverted in his viewing of others. Instead, due largely to the tender performance by Jamie Bell, he is a sympathetic character who is trying, quite unsuccessfully, to deal with the suicide of his mother.
When we meet Hallam, a year after his mother's death, much of his resentment is directed towards his 'evil stepmother' Verity (played with relish by Claire Forlani). Hallam comes to the conclusion that Verity murdered his mother and it is true that Verity does not do much to endear herself as she maliciously forces Hallam to leave home. Hallam arrives in the city and begins a strange relationship of cat and mouse with Kate (Sophia Myles), a woman who is the spitting image of his dead mother. While Hallam seems to project strange fantasies about his mother onto Kate he is at the same time engaged in a watchful pursuit of her. He observes her as she walks home, in her apartment and with her lover. For a long time their relationship exists through windows and binoculars and in Hallam's mind. This is typical of all Hallam's relationships as he distances himself from the world at large, existing instead in a reality of his own creation.
Eventually, Kate and Hallam embark on a sexual relationship of their own. This contributes to Hallam's spiraling mental state as he confronts the strangely incestuous undertones of their relationship. Eventually things come to a head as Hallam is located by his father and Verity and forced to confront the truth of his mothers’ death. While this film seems like a dense proposition it is in fact a sweet and ultimately heartfelt story of how a young man tries to deal with grief.
These are just three of the many amazing films at this years Sydney Film Festival with kudos also going to Sarah Polley’s directorial debut Away From Her, the Ian Curtis biopic Control and the short Australian film by Paul McDermott, starring Pia Miranda and Hugo Weaving, The Girl Who Swallowed Bees.
Out of the Blue:
This film from New Zealand director Robert Sarkies left audiences in stunned silence for long minutes after the credits rolled. Out of the Blue recounts a horrific massacre that took place in the small New Zealand town of Aramoana in 1990 when a lone gunman, David Gray, killed 13 people before being shot dead by police. It is a vivid look at a deranged mind and shows the way in which this idyllic beachside community was quickly transformed into a dangerous battleground.
The film is beautifully shot in a landscape recognisable to Australian and New Zealand audiences for its suburban familiarity. That the film so successfully reconstructs the time and place makes the violence that is carried out that much more horrific. As the slaughter begins you feel like you are there with the terrified township. We watch helplessly as one unstable member of this tight-knit community tears apart families; killing men, women and children with cold-blooded calculation. And yet, it is a testament to the remarkable performance of Matthew Sunderland (as David Gray) as well as the excellent scripting, that the gunman is not inhuman. He is very much a victim of his own delusions and rather than hatred, you feel sorry for him even as he terrorizes this previously innocent town.
Bunny Chow:
Bunny Chow is a hilarious snapshot of life in present-day South Africa. It is essentially the story of a group of young male stand-up comedians who embark on a road trip from Johannesburg to perform at a music festival. This simple story is punctuated by memorable characters who get into all kinds of trouble as they attempt to navigate relationships, heartbreak and friendship with humor and honesty.
South Africa has often been portrayed in films as a place of constant social and political turmoil. With Bunny Chow, audiences begin to see another side of post-apartheid South Africa – one of a relaxed urban sphere, multiculturalism and comedy. Director John Barker sees Bunny Chow as the beginning of a new chapter for South African filmmaking. He and producer, Jeremy Nathan hope that Bunny Chow will be the first of many films of a new generation who can make films on a street level. By engaging in independent guerilla filmmaking with little money and not much experience, aspiring South African filmmakers can open up the industry and create a larger pool of talent. Hopefully this movement will see many more films like Bunny Chow being made; films that tell truthful and personal stories while at the same time retaining a specific context within contemporary South Africa.
Hallam Foe:
Hallam Foe, directed by David Mackenzie is a bizarre yet lovely film about a disconnected boy who exists on the outskirts of society. As an accomplished peeping tom, Hallam (Jamie Bell) is constantly hovering on the edges of other people's lives. However, he is not threatening nor particularly perverted in his viewing of others. Instead, due largely to the tender performance by Jamie Bell, he is a sympathetic character who is trying, quite unsuccessfully, to deal with the suicide of his mother.
When we meet Hallam, a year after his mother's death, much of his resentment is directed towards his 'evil stepmother' Verity (played with relish by Claire Forlani). Hallam comes to the conclusion that Verity murdered his mother and it is true that Verity does not do much to endear herself as she maliciously forces Hallam to leave home. Hallam arrives in the city and begins a strange relationship of cat and mouse with Kate (Sophia Myles), a woman who is the spitting image of his dead mother. While Hallam seems to project strange fantasies about his mother onto Kate he is at the same time engaged in a watchful pursuit of her. He observes her as she walks home, in her apartment and with her lover. For a long time their relationship exists through windows and binoculars and in Hallam's mind. This is typical of all Hallam's relationships as he distances himself from the world at large, existing instead in a reality of his own creation.
Eventually, Kate and Hallam embark on a sexual relationship of their own. This contributes to Hallam's spiraling mental state as he confronts the strangely incestuous undertones of their relationship. Eventually things come to a head as Hallam is located by his father and Verity and forced to confront the truth of his mothers’ death. While this film seems like a dense proposition it is in fact a sweet and ultimately heartfelt story of how a young man tries to deal with grief.
These are just three of the many amazing films at this years Sydney Film Festival with kudos also going to Sarah Polley’s directorial debut Away From Her, the Ian Curtis biopic Control and the short Australian film by Paul McDermott, starring Pia Miranda and Hugo Weaving, The Girl Who Swallowed Bees.
2 comments:
I also really enjoyed Hallam Foe... That Jamie Bell, he's got real talent man...
I so wish I'd seen Out of the Blue. I keep reading excellent things. Ah well, next time.
Thanks for the heads-up on films to see at MIFF. Hallam Foe isn't listed while Out of the Blue, Away From Her and Control all have a commercial distribution planned. Looks like the only one I'll look for at MIFF is Shotgun Stories.
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